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Dirt Disciple
Hi all,
I’m currently in the process of recommissioning my old Raleigh Lizard which I’ve had since I was 11 (1990).. I’m now 44.
Although it hasn’t been used in around 26 years, it’s still in surprisingly good form! Obviously it could benefit from new tyres, but they’re still temporarily serviceable.. the plastic pedals were completely worn out with plenty of play (it was used daily for school), and so they’ve now been replaced.
The gears weren’t changing smoothly, and so I gave them a setup, which improved things considerably.
There are various other things I have done, including a thorough clean, and whilst doing so, I noticed that the jockey wheels were incredibly worn, so decided to replace them, and bought a new chain whilst I was about it (all genuine Shimano).
All went well, other than when I came to reset the rear derailleur.. it really took some dialling in to be able to change consistently through the gears, and even when it was as good as I could get it, there is still a clicking sound with each rotation of the crank.
Under closer inspection (I’m no bike expert by any means), I can see that the alignment between the rear cluster and the jockey wheels is completely skewed in relation to each other. Nothing is bent, but I’ve noticed that there is plenty of excessive play in the rear derailleur hanger/pivot joint, and also the next joint down (housed in a black plastic barrel).
I’m guessing that the original worn jockey wheels were allowing the chain so much free movement that it could be set up well enough without this clicking sound, but the new ones are fighting against it, trying to keep everything in line, but finding it impossible with so much play.
So obviously the original 6 speed Shimano SIS rear derailleur is going to need replacing, and that’s really my question.. does anyone have any advice on my best options for the Raleigh Lizard? I’ve had a quick look online, but with so many variables to choose from, I really didn’t know what to choose. I’d ideally like something that’s going to work with the original shifter, as I wanted to keep the bike it as original as possible.
Thank you for any advice
Russ
I’m currently in the process of recommissioning my old Raleigh Lizard which I’ve had since I was 11 (1990).. I’m now 44.
Although it hasn’t been used in around 26 years, it’s still in surprisingly good form! Obviously it could benefit from new tyres, but they’re still temporarily serviceable.. the plastic pedals were completely worn out with plenty of play (it was used daily for school), and so they’ve now been replaced.
The gears weren’t changing smoothly, and so I gave them a setup, which improved things considerably.
There are various other things I have done, including a thorough clean, and whilst doing so, I noticed that the jockey wheels were incredibly worn, so decided to replace them, and bought a new chain whilst I was about it (all genuine Shimano).
All went well, other than when I came to reset the rear derailleur.. it really took some dialling in to be able to change consistently through the gears, and even when it was as good as I could get it, there is still a clicking sound with each rotation of the crank.
Under closer inspection (I’m no bike expert by any means), I can see that the alignment between the rear cluster and the jockey wheels is completely skewed in relation to each other. Nothing is bent, but I’ve noticed that there is plenty of excessive play in the rear derailleur hanger/pivot joint, and also the next joint down (housed in a black plastic barrel).
I’m guessing that the original worn jockey wheels were allowing the chain so much free movement that it could be set up well enough without this clicking sound, but the new ones are fighting against it, trying to keep everything in line, but finding it impossible with so much play.
So obviously the original 6 speed Shimano SIS rear derailleur is going to need replacing, and that’s really my question.. does anyone have any advice on my best options for the Raleigh Lizard? I’ve had a quick look online, but with so many variables to choose from, I really didn’t know what to choose. I’d ideally like something that’s going to work with the original shifter, as I wanted to keep the bike it as original as possible.
Thank you for any advice
Russ
